These activities are for children that can be done either on their own or with a partner in the classroom to practice word family skills. The link below is provided for access to specific directions and printables that go along with the activities below (including preparation and materials needed). These are wonderful activities for kinesthetic and visual learners. Struggling students should be paired with high achieving students. Classroom management should be maintained at all times with the teacher stating expectations prior to the students beginning these activities. Learning Center Activities
1. Family Houses
Who lives in the family? Students are divided into literacy centers. In this activity, students are given three outlines of houses. Children write all the words for the members of a family. Students can then color, cut, and paste the houses onto construction paper.
ex: cat, mat, sat, rat, etc. for the first house
cap, gap, lap, map, etc. for the second house
bug, dug, jug, hug, etc. for the third house
2. Clothespin Spelling
Students recognize word families and spelling patterns as they match consonants and blends (onsets) with "rimes".
3. Mystery Words
Students use teacher-selected magnetic letters to make words. After making words, they determine the "mystery" word that can be made using all of the letters and sort the words for spelling patterns.
4. Pocket Chart
Students use the pocket chart to build sentences using teacher-made words, rebuild poems that have been studied, and retell stories. (This activity can be correlated into using specific words that belong to a word family.
5. Buddy Reading
Students may read teacher-selected stories together that incorporate word families. Students are encouraged to "stop and think," ask questions and write as many words that belong to a particular word family as they can.
6. Eraser Words
This activity helps students recognize relationships between words and how changing the onset or the "rime" of a word can create a new word.
7. Word Family Scattergories
This activity is named after the Scattergories™board game. Spin one of the word wheels below. They then use the worksheet to record words that can be made in the time the sand timer takes to empty. The can use initial consonants or consonant blends to make words. Students then read the words they have made. They must cross out any words that other players also made. They get a point for each word they make that no one else made.
8. Word Family Fishing
This word game is played just like Go Fish except students must collect all cards from a common word family.
9. Word Family Candy Land
This word game is played just like Candy Land except students are using a teacher-made word family board.
Learning Center Activities
These activities are for children that can be done either on their own or with a partner in the classroom to practice word family skills. The link below is provided for access to specific directions and printables that go along with the activities below (including preparation and materials needed). These are wonderful activities for kinesthetic and visual learners. Struggling students should be paired with high achieving students. Classroom management should be maintained at all times with the teacher stating expectations prior to the students beginning these activities.Learning Center Activities
1. Family Houses
Who lives in the family?
Students are divided into literacy centers. In this activity, students are given three outlines of houses. Children write all the words for the members of a family. Students can then color, cut, and paste the houses onto construction paper.
ex: cat, mat, sat, rat, etc. for the first house
cap, gap, lap, map, etc. for the second house
bug, dug, jug, hug, etc. for the third house
2. Clothespin Spelling
Students recognize word families and spelling patterns as they match consonants and blends (onsets) with "rimes".
3. Mystery Words
Students use teacher-selected magnetic letters to make words. After making words, they determine the "mystery" word that can be made using all of the letters and sort the words for spelling patterns.
4. Pocket Chart
Students use the pocket chart to build sentences using teacher-made words, rebuild poems that have been studied, and retell stories. (This activity can be correlated into using specific words that belong to a word family.
5. Buddy Reading
Students may read teacher-selected stories together that incorporate word families. Students are encouraged to "stop and think," ask questions and write as many words that belong to a particular word family as they can.
6. Eraser Words
This activity helps students recognize relationships between words and how changing the onset or the "rime" of a word can create a new word.
7. Word Family Scattergories
This activity is named after the Scattergories™board game. Spin one of the word wheels below. They then use the worksheet to record words that can be made in the time the sand timer takes to empty. The can use initial consonants or consonant blends to make words. Students then read the words they have made. They must cross out any words that other players also made. They get a point for each word they make that no one else made.
8. Word Family Fishing
This word game is played just like Go Fish except students must collect all cards from a common word family.
9. Word Family Candy Land
This word game is played just like Candy Land except students are using a teacher-made word family board.